What is the best treatment of body pain?

Answer 1

The best treatment will depend on the degree of pain, the location of the pain and the source of the pain. If you have body pain because of a broken rib, nothing short of a trip to the doctor for high-power prescription pain medication and stabilization of the broken rib is going to work. In contrast, a simple "I overdid it today and now my body hurts from being more active than normal" can often be treated at home with a nice soak in a hot bath tub and a good night's sleep.

There are a lot of treatments for body pain, ranging from medications to rest to manipulation therapies - I've listed some highlights below starting from do-it-yourself to seeking professional assistance.

In general, I would suggest trying non-medication treatments before resorting to medications just because every drug does have a small risk of side effects. Some non-medication treatments for body pain include rest, relaxing in hot water (such as a jacuzzi, hot tub or just a bath tub with hot water) or applying heat (like a rice bag or an electric heating pad) or ice (a bag of frozen corn or peas, with the chunks broken up inside the bag, wrapped in a soft towel works well).

If you have someone else around, you can try having that person massage the sore area, either with shallow or deep pressure, and with the option of massage oils if available and preferred. If you have access to a chiropractor or doctor, he/she can perform specific stretches or manipulations to release tension or realign joints.

Medication options include most over-the-counter pain medications (Tylenol, Aleve, Advil, aspirin, Excedrin, Motrin, etc.) as well as some prescription medications like muscle relaxers or prescription pain relievers.